Commerical cleaning services for offices or the like are generally considered a very high labor intensitive industry. Consequently, every labor saving device could represent a significant increase of productivity, and a resultant improved profit for anyone in such a business.
One device used to help clean carpets is the "steam cleaner"; using some type of cleaning liquid that is applied to the carpet and a tool that is moved along on the surface and connected to a source of vacuum so as to draw excess liquid out of the carpet. Devices of this type are referred to herein as spray-vacuum systems. The tool used on carpets has spaced generally flat surfaces that ride flush on the top of the carpet, and that define therebetween a slot open to the carpet and connected to the source of vacuum. The cleaning liquid is frequently sprayed directly onto the carpet, from outside the tool.
While the above-described tool works well on carpets generally, it does not work well for cleaning bare floors, such as exposed wood, tile or cement; and accordingly different tool concepts have been proposed for this. However, they generally have been wanting. Some tools, for example, are effective in moving in one direction only; so that repeated cleaning passes are needed in order to effectively clean the surface or to draw away the liquid. Most sysems apply the cleaning liquid in the open atmosphere so that the liquid can end up beyond the areas intended. Some systems apply the liquid by rolling or rubbing it on the surface, so that they are slow or are not effective in driving dirt from the bottoms of holes or grooves, such as are common in patterned tile floors or in the grout seams. Some systems or tools are just too bulky to be moved about freely and into hard-to-reach locations, such as against the wall or against or under a piece of furniture.
Of concern then, is the ability to use the spray-vacuum system on a wide range of types of surfaces, with a reasonable number of separate tool pieces, and at a reasonable investment of equipment. If a specialized tool is used, it should be as multi-functional as possible and/or be interchangable with other tools and operable off the same basic spray-vacuum system.
Of concern also is the ability to clean the surfaces meeting across an interior or baseboard corner; especially where the surfaces again are hard.
On the whole, known spray-vacuum tools for this purpose: (1) provide poor cleaning preformance, in that much of the dirt remains on the surface even after being sprayed and vacuumed; (2) are messy with excess liquid spraying beyond the area to be cleaned; and (3) are slower that expected with the consequential reduction in the anticipated productivity.